


Seldom All They Seem

by cuddleslutloki



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Bottom Thor (Marvel), Bottom Thor Day, Light Angst, M/M, Rimming, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Top Loki (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 20:39:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16353911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddleslutloki/pseuds/cuddleslutloki
Summary: "This was not a dream. That much Thor knew, for no dream felt like this. Not when he foresaw Ragnarok and not every time he relived Loki…His dreams did not begin with waking."





	Seldom All They Seem

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this for bottom thor day, a wondrous little thing proposed by [foreverthorki](https://foreverthorki.tumblr.com/) on tumblr that i am more than happy to have something for lol. title from lana del rey's cover of [once upon a dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8waJ7W3QcJc), which is basically my vibe for this fic lol. never meant for this to be this long, but i never do lmao. hope y'all enjoy.

This was not a dream. That much Thor knew, for no dream felt like this. Not when he foresaw Ragnarok and not every time he relived Loki…

His dreams did not begin with waking.

But, if Thor was so greatly cursed that this could be a dream, he prayed he would die in it. Or perhaps he already had. In that last second as Thanos’ fingers came together and snuffed out half the universe, maybe Thor had been taken as well. Was this Valhalla then? Did he perish in battle without realizing?

Was he awake under Asgard’s sun?

He sat up and looked around. Stormbreaker lay next to him in the grass, just within reach. Birds sang to him from the trees all around him, their boughs laden with golden apples. Thor stood on shaking legs and turned in a slow circle. One of the orchards, he recognized, the southern one if the slope of the hill was as he remembered. The palace was a short distance away, waiting. Whether reality or figment, he had to go, to see.

Thor called his ax to his hand and raised it up, ready to fly. The sun glinted off the blade, highlighting blood that was a sick and unnatural shade as it still dripped. His skin burned with the memory of another star. He lowered the ax. The beat of his heart pounded painfully in his chest and his lungs could scarcely pull in enough air. He stumbled through the trees, careful of the dropped apples that had fallen to the ground so that he wouldn’t trample them. A wondrous shimmering mead could be made with them, and the cooks always found other ways to keep them from going to waste. These were sacred, cherished, as were the food and drink they helped make. Much of his childhood had been passed with some treat or another in his hands. Was the loss of it all driving him mad? So mad even Loki wouldn't have been able to find him?

Everything felt solid around him as he made his way to the front of the orchard. Too soon he stood on vacant ground between rows of houses and rows of trees, the great city sprawling before him. The world felt tilted, but it was likely just him. How could this have been?

Thor swallowed his panic and began walking. He spared a look down at his arms, his body. Blood and dirt were still caked on thick. If he was still dirty then this was not Valhalla, so he wasn't dead. If not dead, if not dreaming, then somehow he was home. Of all the ways fate had rewarded him, perhaps this was the sweetest. Or maybe this was a test. Regardless, Thor pressed forward and made his way into the city.

People stared at him as he made his way toward the palace, his home, but no one stopped him or spoke to him. He could feel the weight of Heimdall watching him and smiled. How easy it was to forget a feeling that had followed him from birth, thought lost forever.

Whispers grew to murmurs and moved with him up side streets and through the small squares of each city district. Guards kept time with him when he was a mile from the palace. Thor paid them no mind and kept going.

He stopped in front of the gates of the palace and waited for a moment, a tired smile lifting his lips when the hinges began to creak. The great gates opened for him, the walls allowing him inside with trust built through a thousand years of protection. Asgard knew him. More guards and warriors walked with him, looking at each other, forming plans. They halted at the sight of the prince, his own younger self, a man he forgot he ever was.

Long hair, two eyes, and Mjolnir in his hand. They stared at each other, mirror images from realities too far apart to fathom. King drenched in blood, prince crowned in gold.

The hammer was raised, offered. Thor held his hand out but found himself hesitating. He saw her shatter and had done nothing, was helpless to save her. Would she still...

No, Asgard knew him and so would she, even now.

Mjolnir came him with a song reverberating through her core. His blood sang with it, rejoiced as a piece of him was restored. Not a dream, this could not be a dream.

The young prince swallowed hard and called the hammer back, eyes wary as they studied his face.

“How have you come here?” He asked.

Thor shrugged and shook his head. “I don't know, I don’t even know… when this is. I woke up in the southern orchard.”

A memory played in Thor's mind. Loki young, chubby-cheeked, laughing as they played tag between the trees. It cut at his heart and left him hollow.

The prince waved the guards off. “Come, we must go to Odin.”

Thor nodded and gestured for the prince to lead the way. They were the same, he knew, under the years that marked him differently. This young prince could be him if things went as wrong as he knew they could. Perhaps this was the fates plan, their will. Asgard had the power necessary to cut Thanos off and keep him from succeeding, they just needed to act before it was too late. That was their duty.

The throne room was lit by the setting sun and vacant save for Odin, Frigga, and Loki all crowded in by the throne. This was not a dream, Thor reminded himself. He and the prince stopped at the steps, both kneeling before Odin, then rising.

Odin stood and looked at him, through him. “How did you come here?”

Thor shrugged, already tired of his lack of knowledge. “I don't know. I woke up in the southern orchard and walked straight here.”

“Walked?” Odin asked. “Why not fly?”

A tightness gripped Thor's throat. He took a breath to steady himself. “I had to see if this was real. Walking seemed the better option.”

The prince cleared his throat and drew Odin's attention. “He can lift Mjolnir.”

Odin tilted his head, looking down his nose at them, and frowned thoughtfully. “You are my son, then?”

Thor found that even as broken as he was, he still had room to be ripped open.

“I am,” he replied, a quiver in his voice that he couldn't stop.

Frigga came to him in a flurry of rich fabric, a smile on her lips, her hands soft where they cradled his face. She looked him over and rubbed some of the dirt from his cheeks.

“I'd know one of my boys anywhere,” she said.

Tears filled Thor's eyes and ran over, his breath trembling. He didn't want to dirty her dress with the filth of battle, but he had to embrace her. She came to the hug easily, gentle and warm, filled with love that reached into him like he could be fixed after everything that had been done to him. If anyone could heal him it would be her. Always her.

Heavy steps echoed through the room and Thor knew who it was without looking. He pulled back from his mother's arms and turned to meet Heimdall.

Thor held himself steady, ready for more questions, but Heimdall simply smiled and grasped his shoulder.

“King,” he said.

“Not here,” Thor replied.

“A king of Asgard is always a king, Thor,” Heimdall told him, fingers squeezing him tighter.

Thor smiled and pulled Heimdall into a hug, his arms shaking despite his best efforts. It was all accepted with an old warrior’s love and fondness. Home. He was home in the arms of his friends and family.

He pulled back, holding Heimdall at arm’s reach, banishing the memory of—

“How did I end up here?” He asked.

Heimdall shook his head, lips pursed tight. “That I cannot answer. I didn’t see the portal that brought you here, I only saw you when you woke up.”

Thor finally released his dear friend and let his arms hang at his sides. “What do you mean?”

“Whoever or whatever put you here didn’t want me to see it happen. Probably because they don’t want you going back from where and when you came to us.” Heimdall glanced up toward the throne, toward Odin, toward Loki.

Thor’s heart skittered in his breast, tripping and finding rhythm again as he heaved a deep breath. “So I can’t leave. I’m stuck in this timeline?”

Heimdall nodded. “Whatever did it meant for you to stay. I can’t even see the timeline you’re from, there was no hole left. The path that brought you here has been sealed to never be reopened.”

He was stuck. There was no going back. Thor breathed as slowly as he could and ran a hand over his hair, closed his eyes and took another breath to ease the trembling that broke out all along his body. Static danced over his skin, arced between his fingers. Energy built inside him, threatening to burst. This was not a dream.

A hand clapped down hard on his shoulder and he opened his eyes to see the young prince offering a smile.

“We should find the second king of Asgard a room, then,” he said, then looked up to Odin.

Thor turned back around to face his father, dressed in familiar heavy robes, holding Gungnir in his hand. His ravens were perched on the back of the throne, their heads tilted.

Odin stepped down and laid a hand on his other shoulder and smiled. “I agree. From the looks of you, it’s been a rough journey. Wash, rest, eat, then you can tell us everything you’d have us know.”

Fatigue was settling into Thor’s bones, his body sagging under the knowledge that he was safe. He nodded and met Loki’s eyes, his brother still standing up on the dais.

There was an old, old wound in Thor that had never stopped bleeding. It had festered in his heart, become infected with fight after fight, with his every failure in bringing his brother back. A scab had formed, it had begun to heal, then Thanos—

But that was a different Loki. From the look of things, Thor had been dropped back years before his failed coronation; back when Mjolnir was a new friend and hadn’t yet been named as his to keep. Before his own ego and cruelty started to spike, and his arrogance cost him so dearly. This Loki still loved him, still sought him out at feasts, still remarked on his perfection rather than making spiteful comments about every way he was lacking. Gods but he was so less guarded and all he was doing was standing there, staring at Thor.

“Son?” Odin asked, voice finally cutting through the trance that had taken Thor.

He nodded twice and smiled. “Yes, sorry, after you.”

They took him to the hall where foreign dignitaries would normally stay and gave him the largest room. It was one he knew well, because he and Loki would use it for hide and seek when they were boys. Before Loki had learned his affinity for knives, when they were well and truly innocent in a way Thor knew could never be reclaimed.

Thor felt himself settle, his exhaustion pulling at him despite how badly he wanted to stay awake. Frigga gave him a kiss, paying no mind to the filth covering him. Odin embraced him and kissed his cheek, as he would have when Thor was a child. The prince hugged him like a brother, which he supposed was accurate enough. Loki picked at a piece of crusted viscera in his hair and finally spoke.

“Don’t see why they couldn’t have cleaned you when they dropped you off,” Loki said, his voice sharp and smooth.

Thor laughed and shrugged. “If I ever meet them I’ll ask.”

They met each other’s eyes and Thor pulled Loki into a hug. Loki returned it, though he was being crushed. No one had yet questioned him about his own timeline, but the fact that he showed up alone probably told them enough. Thor buried his face in Loki’s neck and breathed in deep, then released his little brother with a kiss to his cheek.

Frigga smiled so sweetly to him. “I’m sure you’ll sleep through dinner, so join us in the morning.”

Thor nodded and watched as they left. He stripped out of his armor and dropped his ax to the foot of the bed. The bath tub was massive and already filled with water that flowed gently from one end to the other, carved dragon heads pouring steady streams from their mouths that replenished the water as swiftly as it was drained from the opposite end. All he had to do was climb in and relax. He scrubbed himself with a sponge and submerged himself fully three times to be sure that all of the gore and dirt was gone. By the time he was satisfied, the sun had set and he could barely keep his eyes open.

He stood, dried off as quickly as possible, and walked back into the room. Loki wasn’t there waiting for him. Neither version. Thor stuffed down the disappointment he felt and dropped onto his stomach into bed.

As he fell asleep something brushed his back, but the touch faded away as he slipped into a dream.

In the dream Loki was smiling at him, just a teenager, creating an illusion of hundreds of snakes in the street. People ran away, some kicked at the illusions, others just stood there slack-jawed in shock. Thor laughed and pulled his brother close.

He was screaming inside his own mind, begging the dream to let him speak. Instead he only laughed harder and the memory faded to black against his will.

The sun assaulted his eyes when he opened them, the uncovered windows allowing the full brunt of it to greet him. He groaned and rolled over onto his back, uncaring of his nudity even though there were three chambermaids walking about. There was a fresh glass of water at his bedside table and he leaned over and drank it all.

One of the maids came and refilled it, offering a smile. He returned it, drank the second glass, then set it back down and got out of bed. So much had he taken for granted. There was clothing waiting for him, multiple options provided for whatever his tastes may have been. Thor dressed without looking. It didn’t matter, really, since it was just breakfast.

He didn’t even bother with shoes, he just walked right out and headed straight for his family’s private dining room. Memory alone carried him. This Asgard was his Asgard. This wasn’t an alternate timeline or a different reality; it was the past.

They were waiting for him, no food touched before he sat down between Frigga and Loki at their round table that was barely big enough for the lot of them. Odin nodded to him, and he nodded back, then they began their meal. Things were quiet at first, just soft greetings and inquiries about his sleep where he lied about the dreamless peace of it.

Loki was so close to him, very different from their brief interaction the night prior. He was curled into Thor’s side with a devious smile. Thor returned it as best he could, his bleeding heart eager for any attention Loki would give him. How quickly the world could shift. The prince eyed them, but seemed more curious than anything else.

Real food was a luxury Thor hadn’t been granted in too long. Between his travels before Ragnarok and the chaos after, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d sat down and eaten properly. Especially not with his family. Ten years? More? Such a trivial amount of time, a drop in the flowing rivers that formed his life. And yet that one drop had created a flood that destroyed him utterly. What was it the humans would say? The straw that broke the camel’s back.

Thor startled when Loki shoved a piece of toast with jam toward him, frowning for a moment but eating from Loki’s hand with a chuckle.

The jam was probably the most sour thing he’d ever tasted. He spit it out and made a retching noise, but it was lost under the sound of Loki’s bright laughter.

“Loki!” Odin chided, but Thor was waving it off.

“No, no, it’s fine. I should expect nothing less from him. Truly, I’m fine, he did no harm.” Thor smiled at Loki and washed the taste out of his mouth with breakfast wine.

Loki looked at him with wide eyes, head tilted and gaze curious. Then it slipped away to something so fond Thor’s eyes started to burn at the sight. He turned away and went back to his own plate, clearing it without another word or look at any of them. This was not a dream.

Their meal ended peacefully, and with each passing second Thor could feel their questions brimming, ready to burst out at him.

“Before any of you ask,” he began, “I still don’t know how I came here. This is my past, as far as I can tell. There’s nothing here that differs from my memory of this time. I do not know for what purpose I may have been sent here, but I can guess.”

He looked at Odin, who looked right back.

After a moment Odin sighed, his shoulders falling. “Is it Hela?”

Thor poured himself more wine and drank it all in a few quick swallows. “Not just, but she is the most pressing matter.”

Frigga went still between them, not moving except to rub at her palm with her thumb. It was hard to reconcile the mother he knew with this era of his life know that he knew everything. To think that the entire time she knew it all and said nothing. Her silence and compliance had helped condemn them. But what more could she have done? No one knew what would come of it. If they did then surely…

No matter, Thor knew and he could do something.

Odin nodded and rubbed his brow. “I understand. I’ll make preparations, a new prison.”

Thor thought about his sister, about the pain and rage she had felt. How easy it was for Odin to cast her aside from one cage to another. Maybe a better option would present itself in the future. At least now they could find out.

Loki rested his chin in one hand, eyes flicking between them with interest. “Who’s Hela?”

The prince hummed his agreement. “I’d like to know, as well.”

Odin stayed quiet a moment, then looked off toward an open window. “I’ll explain later, I won’t spoil breakfast with this.”

Frigga cleared her throat, cutting short any reply either of the princes may have had. “Is there anything else, Thor?”

He shook his head and pushed his empty plate away from himself. “No. Everything else can wait. There’s still a few years until the Odinsleep, if I remember correctly. We have time.”

Tension bled from Frigga slowly, and a smile graced her lovely face. “Of course, you can tell us everything when you’re ready.”

Thor met her eyes and leaned over to press a kiss to her temple, then stood from the table. “Thank you for breakfast, I’m going to walk around for a bit, I think.”

He patted Loki on the back, then left the room and headed for the vault straight away. Within seconds one of Loki’s doubles was walking in-step with him.

“Where are we going, brother?” Loki asked, a smile on his lips that made his voice decadent.

Thor looked at him side-long, taking in the ease of his young face and the light in his eyes. Loki was so beautiful it was dangerous.

“Meet me in the vault,” Thor told him.

A flash of shock crossed Loki’s face, which melted quickly into a smile so mischievous Thor reflexively checked his abdomen for a stab wound. The double vanished in a shimmer of green light and Thor walked the rest of the way on his own. No one stopped him or paused to ask why he was going to the vault, and he wasn’t sure if it was because they just knew who he was or if Loki had cast some spell to make him unseen. Either was likely.

He took measured steps to the back and found the casket waiting for him there. It was so unassuming, just a story of a war that Odin barely cared to retell. Hard to find glory in lies, Thor supposed.

Loki strut in with a wide smile. “What are we up to?”

Thor smiled at him and waved him over, standing behind the casket as Loki stood in front.

“I need you to listen to me, Loki,” Thor said, “you are my brother, and I love you.”

Loki eyed him warily, a crease forming between his brows. Soft, blue light filtered up under his chin, seeking him, painting him in his true color from underneath.

“What is this, Thor?” Loki’s voice was even, which is how Thor knew he was frightened.

“Touch the casket, Loki,” Thor commanded.

Loki licked his lips, his eyes jumped all over Thor’s face, then down to the Jotun artifact between them. His hands landed on the top and his skin began turning blue immediately. He gasped, but didn’t pull away. Thor watched his face, his frown pulling back into a snarl as his eyes remained wide and unblinking where they watched his body turning. When Loki’s eyes turned red they snapped up to his, tears brimming up and spilling over. His chest was heaving and around them the temperature was dropping as Loki’s panic rose.

“What am I?” Loki asked on a pained breath.

Thor grabbed his arms and held him, restraining him when he tried to pull away. “You are my brother, Loki.”

“What more than that?” He didn’t struggle, not really. If he truly wanted out of Thor’s grasp he could manage it easily.

Thor swallowed and rubbed Loki’s arms with his thumbs. “You’re a Jotun, you’re Laufeyson.”

This time Loki did pull away, staring at his hands as they went from dusky blue back to milky white. His jaw clicked shut and his breath trembled as more tears fell.

“How did you find out?” Loki asked.

Thor walked around the podium and stood between Loki and the casket. “In the worst way. We all thought you dead, and that was when the truth came out.”

Loki let his hands fall to his sides and took a small step toward Thor. He was calmer, but it wasn’t a true calm. The pain of this would leak out and wreck them, but better that Thor could be there to help him than for the future to repeat his past.

Loki stared into him, reached in with magic and read everything in Thor’s heart. Thor let it happen.

“Why did you come here alone?” Loki asked him.

A fresh wave of aching pain bloomed in Thor’s chest and spread down to this stomach, threatening to bring his breakfast back up.

“Because you’re dead,” he answered.

Loki took another step and reached for him. He laid his hands on Thor’s shoulders and dug into the muscle, as if to reassure himself that Thor wasn’t some figment he’d created in a fit of pique.

“How did I die?” Loki whispered.

Thor closed his eyes and swallowed another wave of nausea. “Saving me.”

“Then it was a good death,” Loki said, a smile playing at his lips when Thor opened his eyes again.

Thor shook his head, brows drawing together with his misery. “No. There will never be a good way for you to die.”

Loki reached up and cupped his jaw, skin so warm despite the blood running in his veins. “What other purpose could I have, Thor?”

Thor shook as he grabbed Loki’s waist, he looked away, pushed down the memory of Loki’s promises before he—

“Don’t say that, Loki,” Thor begged.

He pulled Loki close and buried his face in Loki’s neck as he had the night before, breathing him in. Loki’s hair smelled like the oils he used to condition it, something sharp like freshly cut wood and beneath that was something floral, and underneath that he just smelled clean. It was a scent Thor knew as well as any because to him, when he thought about home, this was the scent that triggered every happy memory he possessed.

“You don’t think me a monster to be slain, Thor?” Loki was clearly trying for humor, to deflect, but he just sounded like a scared little boy.

Thor shook his head. “Never.”

“Perhaps that will make one of you,” Loki said, swallowing hard enough that Thor could hear it.

Thor pulled back and tucked a lock of Loki’s hair behind his ear. “I’m sorry.”

Loki frowned at him. “For what?”

“Mostly for things that haven’t happened yet, but also for not seeing you clearly before,” Thor replied.

They watched each other a moment, then Loki leaned in and kissed him. Thor closed his eyes and sighed, relief crushing him. He never thought he would feel this again. Loki pulled back and looked at him, a gentle flush rising on his cheeks. Time suspended around them, the maelstrom of Thor’s life calmed by the wondrous look in Loki’s eyes. As much as storms lived in his blood, he wanted peace so desperately. Light lived inside Loki, so much of it, and it was all so close to the surface here. It didn’t need to be brought back to the fore. Loki didn’t need to be convinced that he could be loved, that Thor could be trusted again as when they were boys.

Every error Thor had made was being erased, a true second chance.

Steps echoed down the stairs but neither moved. Thor looked past Loki’s shoulder and saw his younger self walking toward them, only to stop and stare at their position.

Loki turned and looked over his shoulder. “Something we can help you with, brother?”

The prince shook his head. “No, just thought I would invite you to spar with us.”

They smiled at each other and Thor warmed to see it. He remembered this joy, the constant need to have Loki close that permeated his earliest memories.

Loki nodded. “We’ll be there shortly.”

The prince met his eyes and nodded his understanding, then left them alone.

Loki kissed him again once the prince was gone, hunger and yearning in his touch that drew joy to Thor’s heart. He laughed softly, quietly, his lower lip caught between Loki’s teeth. When Loki let it go it snapped back to place, stinging from the harsh touch.

“What’s funny?” Loki asked.

Thor shook his head. “Nothing, really.”

Light from the torches danced in Loki’s eyes. “Then you’re happy?”

Thor nodded and let out a slow breath. “I am.”

A grin curled Loki’s kiss-slick lips. “Would you be happier if I came to your bedroom tonight?”

Thor could feel thunder in his heart, knew it must be echoed in the skies outside. “Yes.”

Loki kissed him again, quick and chaste, then backed away. “Then maybe I’ll be there. But we were extended an invitation, and it would be rude to keep him waiting.”

“Wise as ever, baby brother. After you,” Thor gestured with one hand, sweeping it forward and following Loki’s steps.

Thor’s pain was soothed somewhat. His loss was still fresh, his wounds still bleeding, but they could heal here; he could heal.

When they reached the sparring grounds the sun was already climbing high and beating down on them without mercy. Thor stripped out of his shirt and didn’t miss the look Loki gave him. There were more scars on this body than his younger counterpart’s, and it seemed like Loki’s gaze was tracing each.

Warriors milled about, some looking at him and some not. This was easy, this Thor could do in any version of his life, in any timeline.

Loki changed into a sparring uniform with a flick of his fingers and much snickering in response. Thor frowned to hear it, but Loki ignored it. He was used to it after years of being teased and considered lesser. Time to change that.

Seeing the Warriors Three and Sif pulled at something deep in Thor’s gut. They embraced him readily, Volstagg lifting him off the ground in a crushing hug. Thor laughed and shoved away all thought of how he wasn’t there when Hela came for them. Of how Sif was off somewhere far from home, alone. Of everything about the cursed future he’d been forced to live. He couldn’t go back anyway.

The prince came to them with his hair fixed in a plait tied tight to his skull. He wielded Mjolnir, tossed her with ease. Thor recalled Tony using the phrase security blanket.

She was pointed at him, her wide head rolling with lightning as the prince smiled. “We should see how we differ, I think.”

Thor grinned. “You sure you want this fight?”

The prince nodded. Foolhardy, always ready for a fight. Thor loved and hated him at once. No matter, he would learn; Thor would teach him.

“Then let’s have it,” Thor said.

The field cleared in a breath, a single beat of his heart lasted longer than the heavy steps of warriors in full armor scurrying out of the way.

Thor relaxed and allowed his power to surge in his blood. The sky grew dark and lightning danced over his skin. Loki’s mouth dropped open where he stood to watch them, and the prince matched it, but did not waver.

Mjolnir sung to them in the air, calling out sweetly. Thor summoned her, brought her home to his grasp and ran toward his younger self, laughing when his lunge was dodged easily. They traded places on the field, rounded on each other, so in sync it seemed planned. Rain began to fall and thunder threatened to deafen all present. The prince stole Mjolnir back and Thor let him.

Thor reached out with lightning and grabbed the prince, threw him, saw him flip midair and land on his feet. Then Mjolnir’s head cracked into Thor’s jaw. When had she been thrown? He grabbed her and threw her back. She landed on the prince’s ribs. One broke, he roared, then launched himself forward. They threw kicks, punches, tried to grab each other but neither could land a real hit. They were the same, they knew their own body.

The prince struck him with lightning, a reflex, surely, but Thor only laughed and ripped Mjolnir right out of his hand and slammed it into the side of his head. He lifted her again, ready to strike the prince as he lay on his back, but the prince threw his hands up.

“I yield!” He shouted.

Thor ended the storm that second and extended his hand to pull his younger self up.

Applause erupted around them. Thor handed Mjolnir back and turned to Loki, who was walking toward them. Drops of rainwater clung to his skin and rolled down his cheeks. It made Thor's blood thrum in his veins, he wanted to lick that water off. Loki had a curious look on his face, appraising Thor, considering him now that he'd seen new power. Thor liked it.

Loki put one hand on his hip and squinted against the returning sun. “If you two are done nearly destroying the field, I have a spell I'd like to show you.”

Laughter broke out, the prince part of it. Thor glared at them, glad when the laughter was cut short. Loki bounced on his heels and bit his lips to suppress a smile.

“Show me, Loki,” Thor said, reaching out to brush his elbow.

Loki grinned like a hungry predator and Thor felt his throat closing. He opened his mouth but couldn't draw air. Thor dropped to his knees and held up his hand when someone tried rushing forward to his aid. This was Loki, there was a way out.

At the thought, Thor found he could breathe, just a little. He smiled and met Loki's eye. Brilliant. Air came easily when he realized the trick and he laughed as he caught his breath.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

Thor nodded and stayed where he was on the ground. “The spells feeds on panic, doesn't it? The more your target struggles the less they can breathe.”

Loki nodded. “I'm impressed you broke it so quickly.”

Thor shrugged and stood. “I trust you to be you. Tell me, could this spell have an area of effect?”

“Of course. I can trap dozens in it easily.” Loki said, voice velvet smooth and dangerous.

The words were met with silence. Loki was the most dangerous one among them all. Everyone knew Thor's strength, his power, but no one paid that much attention to Loki. He could slaughter hundreds with a thought. Already had in another time.

Thor smiled to Loki and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, drawing him away from the field. They'd had enough sparring.

Loki was pliant, wrapping an arm around his waist and going with him easily. He stayed pressed to Thor's side as they walked from hall to hall. Neither directed their path, they just went here and there, side by side. They parted in front of the portraits of the kings of Asgard’s past. Loki pressed a kiss to his cheek and sauntered off. Painfully gorgeous, such a tender thing.

Thor returned his attention to the portraits and considered their faces, their actions, his father’s most of all. Was Odin the first of his kind? The first to plunder and pillage? Or did he learn from Bor?

It didn’t matter any longer. The legacy would die with Thor. He would not allow Asgard’s power to be put to use for greedy brutality. Reform would have to happen once he took the throne.

The eyes of the old kings followed him as he walked away.

—

Thor sat on his balcony and watched the sun set, his head quiet for the first time in so long. He was home. A peace was settling into his soul. Everything that was coming he could meet and fix before it went wrong.

Cool hands slid over his shoulders and he smiled. “Loki.”

Loki’s hands slid lower, resting on his chest while his arms dug into the meat of Thor’s shoulders. He could feel Loki’s chin on top of his head, felt it move as he spoke.

“I told them you wanted to have dinner with me in private. I told them that in the time you’re from I’m dead,” Loki’s voice was small, “telling the truth of that feels strange.”

“Living it feels awful,” Thor replied, “but enough of this morbidity. I can smell food, what have you brought for us?”

Loki stood and drew Thor with him by the hand, leading him to the table in his receiving room. Several platters of food were laid out, some still steaming. Thor sat down and began loading a plate.

As Loki sat across from him he frowned, then felt the gentle tickle of Loki’s toes on his shin and let it turn to a smirk. They ate in peace, filling their bellies and toying with each other’s feet beneath the table. Thor remembered doing this as teenagers. Of course then the tease felt dirtier and more often than not devolved to kicking each other. Loki had taken a strip of skin from his leg during one meal and that had been the last time they’d played like that. It was good to have this back.

Then Thor felt something slither up his leg and bolted out of his chair, shaking off the illusion of a venomous snake heading right for his cock.

He sighed and looked up to the ceiling. So much for peace.

“Loki,” he growled.

“How are you so endlessly patient with me?” Loki asked, voice high-pitched in his disbelief.

Thor let his head fall forward and saw the gentle crease of Loki’s brows, the slight downturn of his lips. Even in his confusion he was a beauty unrivaled.

Slowly his expression changed, eyes widening a bit, his mouth twisting. “How did I die?”

Thor shook his head and finally moved, picking his chair up and settling back down in it. “This I will not discuss. Not tonight.”

Loki narrowed his eyes but didn’t reply. Instead he returned to his meal. Their silence fell back to ease after a moment, and Thor emptied his third plate before pushing it away from himself. His stomach wasn’t accustomed to feasting again just yet. Even this moderate dinner was proving too much.

He relaxed in his chair and put his hand on his belly, indulgent in the warmth and fullness. Watching Loki eased his lingering anxieties. Too bad Loki didn’t seem to be in the mood to be watched. A phantom touch slid up Thor’s leg, starting at his ankle and ending at his inner thigh, skipping along right to his groin. It brushed across his cock and teased him until he was half-hard. Gripping and stroking his shaft, tugging on him, tickling his balls.

Loki grinned. “Too full for dessert?”

Thor returned the grin and licked his lips. “Hardly.”

The rest of their uneaten food was forgotten on the table as Loki rounded it and bent over to steal a kiss. Thor hummed and reached up to tangle his fingers in Loki’s hair. Still short, still smooth because he was subduing his pretty curls and waves. It would be that much better to see how disheveled that slick style would become.

Thor rose from his chair and crowded Loki against the edge of the table. He pressed his hardness into Loki’s hip and swallowed down his brother’s self-satisfied moan. Loki grabbed at his too-short hair and tried to pull him deeper, to angle the kiss differently, before he gave a huff of frustration and broke away.

“Who did this to you? I’m going to kill them,” Loki spat, his eyes stormy in a way that made Thor’s heart swell with fondness.

That fondness got him in trouble more often than not, but he wasn’t going to fight it. He loved Loki. All of him, from his temper to his glass-cutting smile, Thor was helpless against it all.

“You’ll grow to like it, I think,” Thor told him, voice warm.

Loki raised an eyebrow and cupped the back of his head. “I’m sure you’ll teach me, won’t you? This is your past, isn’t it? You remember everything we’ve shared?”

Thor nodded. “And more than that.”

Loki licked a broad stripe up the side of his neck. “Then you remember how tight I am on your cock.”

Of course he did, would never be able to forget, but there was something else on his mind.

“I also remember you’re quite proudly shaped, little brother,” Thor replied, slipping a hand between them in the same breath to cup the weight of Loki’s arousal in his palm.

Loki gasped and pulled back, eyes wide, mouth open and rounded. Then it slipped away and a light filled Loki’s expression, those deep green irises sparkling like wildfire on a distant horizon. Thor backed away, pulled his tunic off over his head and waited for the world to catch up to Loki.

He didn’t have to wait long. Loki pounced on him, his own clothing gone in a shimmer of seiðr that Thor would never stop adoring. It wasn’t often that Loki would use his magic for such a mundane purpose, only when the extra seconds of doing something by hand were akin to torture. Thor shared the sentiment.

They kissed again, this time Loki cradling his head, rubbing his scalp with strong fingers that were slowly turning Thor into warm honey on the inside. He broke the kiss and nuzzled Loki’s neck, kissed a line from his collarbone to his ear and memorized the glorious scent of Loki’s skin with every press of his lips. Loki’s pulse was pounding so hard he could feel it and he couldn’t help biting down, tasting that fervor on his tongue as heat engulfed every inch of him.

Loki’s hands slipped into his trousers and cupped his ass, squeezing hard. Thor moaned at the touch, huffing out a ragged breath and moaning against Loki’s skin in his mouth. His teeth dragged slowly against Loki’s neck as he released the flesh he’d abused. A dark, garrish mark was left in his wake, welts in the shape of his teeth blood-bruise purple on Loki’s lovely skin.

Thor didn’t know it was possible to feel so hungry on a full stomach.

The hands on his ass slid away and pushed his trousers down until they were pooled around his ankles. Loki took two steps back and looked him up and down, taking him in with a smug little grin. That fire in Loki’s eyes burned hotter than seconds before and Thor was shaking.

“All mine,” Loki said.

“If you take me,” Thor replied.

An echo of their first time, when Thor had snuck into Loki’s chambers and made Loki cum untouched. A promise and a threat, Thor knew, that Loki was planning on doing the same.

Loki turned and walked to the bed, holding his cock the entire way so it didn’t bob in the air. Elegant as ever. Thor chuckled and followed him, crawling into the soft sheets with a satisfied groan. He laid on his back, but Loki forced him onto his belly and spread him open, exposing his twitching hole to the warm air of the room.

The first lick made him moan loud and unrestrained. Loki faltered and lifted his head.

“What if someone hears?” Loki asked.

Thor turned his head just enough to look at Loki over his shoulder and make eye contact. “I don’t care.”

Loki smiled open-mouthed and took a deep breath before he went right back to his work. Thor closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of Loki taking care of him. Sweet, delicate curls of tongue that had Thor panting and needing more. He pressed himself into Loki’s touch and groaned when he was rewarded. The thick, hot press of Loki’s tongue on his hole made his cock jump where it was trapped beneath him. His body moved on instinct as he spread his legs wider, bent his knees, arched his back. Not so much a king as a whore and he reveled in it, embraced that heavy dirty feeling that he used to deny until he knew how truly good it felt to give in; to let Loki have his way, so he could be a feast and a playground for his brother’s appetite.

Of course Loki gave him everything, built it up from soft slow licks until he was pressing one thin finger into Thor’s body and sucking on his rim. Gods it was perfect. Thor moaned as much as he wanted, happy to hear his own voice and ravenous for every sound Loki gave him in return.

Loki’s finger pressed down and Thor thought actual sparks might’ve been flying off of him.

“There, fuck, Loki!” His voice shook as he rolled his hips to get more of that touch.

Loki chuckled and did it again and again, tapping on Thor’s sweet spot and wriggling his tongue along the outside of Thor’s hole. A second finger slipped in, just a shade too dry but goddamn it was perfect anyway. Thor arched his back even further and pressed his chest down into the sheets.

His balls were heavy and his cock throbbing as they hung between his thighs, ignored in favor of something this Loki had never before tasted. He was savoring it all, Thor knew, bringing him up to the edge slowly and would surely shove him right over without any kind of remorse or courtesy. Thor couldn’t wait. He gave stilted little pushes with his hips, working in time to the rhythm of Loki rubbing him where he liked it best. Static jumped over his skin, little pin-pricks that pushed him ever closer. Thor panted into the sheets and threw one hand back blindly. Loki’s free hand came away from his ass and clasped around his, sideways due to the angle but exactly what Thor needed. An anchor.

Loki shoved a third finger inside him and wiggled them all in a little wave inside his body and Thor choked on his tongue as he came, blood roaring his ears and his hand grasping Loki’s too tight. He grit his teeth and growled through it as wave after wave of heat swallowed him up while the pressure drained.

He was weightless when Loki flipped him over. One last little dribble of cum leaked out of his cock and slid into his belly button. Loki swiped his up with his thumb and sucked it off with a smile. Thor laughed and reached up for him, tugging on Loki’s arm until Loki came along and kissed him. He could taste himself on Loki’s tongue and it ripped a broken moan out of him. Possessive parts of him he’d tried to bury were drifting back up to the surface to deliver this long-forgotten treasure, this feeling he’d held in his heart through his youth, one that had guided him like a compass. The infallible truth that Loki was his life.

Thor sucked on Loki’s tongue and thought that they should only ever taste of each other.

Loki slowly rutted against his hip, clearly in no hurry, but Thor didn’t like being empty when Loki was right there so ready to make it so he could never forget he was home. He pulled Loki back by the hair and kissed the bruise he’d made on Loki’s neck.

“Fuck me, Loki,” he growled.

Loki laughed and did some little motion with his fingers that Thor missed, and suddenly he felt very, very wet. Sopping like he was some bitch in heat. Fuck he loved it.

Thor lifted his legs and let Loki move them however he wanted. One went over Loki’s shoulder, and the other curled around his torso. Their eyes were locked together as Loki slid inside in one long push. That was the home Thor missed; giving himself to Loki without reserve because Loki loved him. Loki loved him. They smiled to each other and Loki slowly rolled his hips, testing the slide. Everything was so slick that he very nearly slipped free on accident. They both laughed and Loki pushed back in, a slight scrunch at the bridge of his nose that threatened to break Thor’s heart. This was not a dream.

Thor knew he was impressive, even soft his cock was thick and weighty, but Loki was glorious in his own right. That lean body gave way to a long, wide prick that filled Thor perfectly. It left him gasping each time Loki bottomed out and twisted his hips and rubbed up inside him and it was so, so good it hurt.

The door opened and Thor glared in the direction of the noise until he saw it was his younger self, the prince dressed casually in linen with a cloak around his shoulders. He stopped when he saw them, met Thor’s eyes, then walked forward slowly until he was at the side of the bed. Loki’s thrusting stilled and he nuzzled into the crook of Thor’s knee before meeting his brother’s eye.

There was a look on the prince’s face, quizzical almost, as he took in the scene before him. Thor knew that look, knew how it felt on his own face. Like he was seeing his brother for the first time.

The prince swiped two fingers through the puddle of Thor’s cum on the bedspread and held them up to Loki, who opened his mouth and let his tongue fall free, only to snatch the hand back and lick his fingers clean himself.

Loki scowled. “You’re greedy.”

The prince chuckled and leaned forward to kiss Loki deeply, humming low in his chest as Loki demanded more of him, sucking his tongue and biting his lips. He flinched back as the kiss broke with a flash of Loki’s teeth.

“Why have you always got to bite me, you little adder?” The prince smacked Loki’s ass, jostling him inside Thor.

The movement set Loki back in action, his thrusts no longer languid, but giving way to the sort of desperation Thor loved because he needed to feel Loki’s strength. Especially now, after everything, he needed to feel Loki as much as he could. He wanted to ache after this was through.

The prince sat down and leaned over him, his eyes soft, voice softer as he spoke, “you’ve come to save us, haven’t you?”

Thor nodded, eyes slipping shut as the distance between them closed and he was kissed. He’d never known his own taste, not like this, didn’t know this weight and this desire. Warmth flooded his stomach, his mind flashed with the possibilities. There was a tenderness in every push of their tongues together that filled him with a gentle pride.

Then the prince was pulled away from him abruptly, Loki’s hand knotted in his long hair. Thor was jostled by the eratic snapping of Loki’s hips.

“He’s mine now, you can have him later,” Loki hissed.

The prince chuckled and stood from the bed, losing a few strands of hair around Loki’s fingers as he gathered himself up. He leaned in to give Loki another quick kiss and narrowly dodged the snapping of Loki’s teeth.

“I’ll have you both later,” the prince promised before sauntering out. The door clicked shut quietly a moment after he disappeared from view.

Thor met Loki’s eyes and smirked, then clenched down on the cock inside him. Loki grunted and fucked into him hard enough to make the bed frame protest beneath them. Sweat was beading at Loki's hairline, dripping down his chest, making Thor’s skin stick everywhere he was clinging to the body between his thighs. He wasn’t going to cum again yet but that was fine, more than fine, because he wanted to be able to focus on Loki.

He covered Loki’s hands as they clutched his legs and dug into his muscles. A trembling filled Loki’s every breath and Thor could feel him growing even harder, swelling further until he stilled and his eyes went wide. Loki shouted, chest heaving, hips grinding into Thor’s ass to milk himself as he spent. Thor moaned and watched as Loki curled into him, both hands going to the thick leg slung over his shoulder, moans turning to whimpers as he came down. Finally he was quiet, panting, brow furrowed and mouth slack. He licked his lips and worked his jaw a bit to moisten his tongue.

Thor hummed and rubbed Loki’s knuckles with his thumbs. They shared a warm smile and Loki slipped free with a little frown, eyes stuck where he’d just left, then snapping to Thor’s.

“Am I leaking?” Thor asked.

Loki nodded, new heat in his eyes. “It looks delicious, if I wasn’t so tired I’d taste you again.”

Thor chuckled and pulled his legs away, grimacing as their skin stuck together. “Next time, then.”

With a soft sigh Loki climbed out of the bed and wandered to the next room, coming back with a tankard and two horns. He stood at the bedside and poured them both a generous helping of mead. Thor drank his in one go and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Loki was drinking his more slowly, so Thor took the opportunity to lean over and lick Loki’s soft cock.

Loki hummed and pet his head, so he continued, sucking his brother into his mouth to clean him. The taste of Loki's cum had him moaning softly, his tongue chasing it until all that was left was skin.

Once Loki’s cup was empty he shoved Thor away and climbed into bed. They both adjusted their position until Loki was sitting in Thor's lap, fingers running idly over Thor's neck and chest while Thor reclined against the pillows. It was a nice way to relax, but they’d have to move again before bed.

“You don’t mind being stuck here, do you?” Loki’s voice was soft as he asked and Thor could feel him tapping to tune of a battle march with two fingers.

Thor shook his head and pressed a kiss into Loki's hair. “No, this is my home.”

They rested quietly as the sun set, golden light growing darker and darker until the moon rose high and they crawled under the blankets together.

Thor didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he knew that as he opened his eyes this was a dream. The room was filled with light, and there were pale green petals suspended in the air, golden dust falling from them that swirled around whenever they were disturbed by the soft wind blowing in from the open windows. He sat up and looked at Loki’s sleeping form next to him. It was a statue made of dark green marble, gorgeous and peaceful looking.

He climbed out of bed and his heart nearly stopped when he looked at the balcony. Loki. His Loki. Smiling at him, arms wide, beckoning. Thor ran to him and embraced him, crying in frustration when he could tell the weight in his arms was but a phantom.

“Loki,” Thor whispered, voice strained with tears.

“Shh, shh, Thor it’s alright, I’m okay,” Loki promised, a laugh in his voice that Thor so longed to hear.

Thor pulled back but kept his arms around Loki and took him in. No bruises on his neck, no bloodshot eyes, he was perfect, exactly as Thor had seen him before—

“Come to me, please, brother,” Thor begged.

Loki smiled, almost sad, and ran his fingers across Thor’s brow. “Thanos was wrong, you know. When he said that there were no more resurrections. I prepared a spell back when I was posing as the Allfather. Something very powerful that could bring me back whole and unblemished. Despite what you may think I never actually died before, I just managed to survive the first two times.”

Thor’s brow creased, his lips pulled into a frown. “Then use it.”

Loki sighed, a happy grin on his lips. “I already did.”

Thor stilled, thought about how he woke, about how Heimdall specifically said he could not see who had dropped him here.

“You understand, then,” Loki said, his eyes bright, “I had a choice to make when that power began to unfurl. I could return to you, or I could return you here, so I chose.”

Fresh tears spilled from Thor’s eyes, hot enough that he knew he was weeping in his sleep, beyond the dream.

“So you can’t be with me,” Thor said, arms dropping to his sides.

Loki raised an eyebrow and looked back to the bedroom. “I’m here. A version of me who needs that love you have. You can put it to better use with him. You told me I could be more. Make sure that happens.”

Thor shook his head, ground his teeth, but the fight died in him before it began. Who knew how long they had in this dreamworld. He wouldn’t waste the time arguing.

“Where are you, Loki?” Thor asked.

Loki looked off toward the horizon, the bright sunlight making his eyes sparkle. “Mother wants me to say hello for her. Father too.”

Thor faltered on his feet, only remaining upright because he braced himself on the balcony railing. “Valhalla?”

Loki nodded.

Thor felt a smile pull at his lips, he could accept that. “Then you’re at peace?”

“The moment I knew I could save you on that ship I was at peace, brother. This is just a bonus,” Loki grinned at him.

Thank the gods and Norns, he looked truly happy. Thor couldn't remember seeing Loki smile so much in centuries. Not like this, like he meant it.

“Come visit me like this, at least,” Thor said.

Loki nodded. “I will, but not too often. I want you living here until it's time.”

The sun started to set in the sky and Thor knew it meant their time was near an end.

“Will I… do you know?” Thor couldn’t bring himself to ask, but he knew Loki would understand.

Loki cradled his face and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Yes, we will be in the same afterlife. Not even I could derail your fate that far. You will live here in peace, you will become a great and glorious king to our people, and then you will return to my arms for the rest of time.”

Thor was crying again, and laughing. That sounded like a paradise he’d never dreamt of in any fever from battle or sickness. It was more than he ever could have thought to ask for, and he knew it was the truth when Loki promised it.

“Before you wake, let me tell you one thing in absolute truth,” Loki held him firmly, demanded his full attention, “I love you, Thor.”

Thor smiled through his tears and felt the dream dissolve around him. He woke to Loki’s face, this fresh young thing that he would cherish properly, hovering over him with worry creasing his brows.

“I love you, Loki,” Thor whispered, and pulled his brother in for a kiss he hoped would mark their souls for centuries.

—

Thor had done as his brother asked. He lived valiantly, slayed the enemies of Asgard and all the other realms, and ushered in a time of peace and prosperity that saw the Midgardians harness the power of the Tesseract not for weapons, but for exploration. They became worthy keepers of the infinity stone and Thor was beyond proud of them.

Asgard also flourished under the reign of the Three Kings. They were brothers, they were lovers, but most importantly they were friends and rulers who left a mark that would never be forgotten. Better than all the kings before them. The wealth of Asgard was shared in their reign. All peoples were lifted up instead of being trampled down under the heel of their armies.

That was what brought Thor here, pushing open the doors of the feasting hall. The songs stopped and all heads turned to him. He strode in proudly, his body restored to his prime. Though thousands filled the hall, he only saw Loki. His Loki, wondrous and beautiful. His Loki who had saved him and then waited thousands of years for this.

Thor ran into his brother’s embrace and wept to know that the weight in his arms was true. Their souls reunited. They kissed and kissed, spurred on by the cheers of their fellow warriors who rejoiced at their joy, who knew them and had watched them both grow and sacrifice and die.

As they parted they both laughed and cried and all Thor could do was just breathe to be so complete again, to have Loki with him forever. Truly forever, until the end of time. Right where he belonged.

This was not a dream. This was Valhalla, and they would never again be torn apart.

**Author's Note:**

> comment if you liked it, thank you for reading :D


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